Memphis' hot shooting sinks Houston

Jan 12, 2007 - 7:24 AM
HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Memphis wasn't able to replicate the
brilliant shooting performance from its last game. Instead, the
Tigers were even better.

Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 16 points and the 19th-ranked
Tigers shot the lights out again in a 79-69 victory over Houston
in Conference USA play.

Coming off an 88-55 thrashing of Cincinnati seven days earlier
in which it shot 60 percent, Memphis finished 30-of-48 (62.5
percent) from the floor and hit 10-of-15 3-pointers against the
Cougars to win their fourth straight game.

Jeremy Hunt scored 14 points, including three from the arc,
while Robert Dozier added 12 and freshman Doneal Mack 11 for the
Tigers (12-3, 2-0 C-USA). Memphis' top four scorers in the
game combined to hit 19-of-26 shots.

Memphis gave an indication of what was to come by hitting six
straight shots to assume a 14-5 lead, but Rob McKiver scored 11
points - including three 3-pointers - in a 3:13 span to get
Houston within 29-26 with just under six minutes to go. He
finished the opening 20 minutes with 17 points, going 5-of-7
from the arc.

Just as it seemed the Cougars had seized the momentum, Antonio
Anderson scored six points in a 10-0 spurt as the Tigers built a
39-26 lead with 4:26 left in the first half and never let
Houston (5-8, 0-1) get the advantage under nine thereafter.

McKiver nailed a 3-pointer to close the first half and another
to open the second and Jahmar Thorpe buried a jumper to close
the deficit to 47-38.

Again, the Tigers turned to their long-range shooting to repel
the Cougars. Andre Allen, Douglas-Roberts and Hunt all hit
3-pointers to restore the margin to 59-44 with 14 1/2 minutes
left.

The lead stayed in that range until McKiver scored the last five
points in the closing minute to make the final margin
respectable.